In order to store articles such as hats, coats, cookware and the like, various racks have been designed for hanging such articles in an orderly fashion. One type of rack includes hooks which are attached to a jointed frame. This type of rack is especially advantageous because the overall dimensions of the rack and, hence, the spacing between the hooks are adjustable. As a result, such racks can be adjusted to accommodate wide and narrow articles, as well as to fit into wide and narrow storage spaces. Additionally, the racks can be folded into a compact configuration for inexpensive shipment.
Prior to the development of the unique rack disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,993, racks of the type described above were usually fabricated from a variety of relatively expensive elements, such as wooden members, metal screws and the like, which necessitated the use of tools in order to assemble the racks. The rack disclosed in my prior patent includes at least two frame members, one of which is provided with an open-ended sleeve and the other of which is provided with an integrally formed pin. The pin is pivotally received in the sleeve with its free end protruding through the sleeve. The free end of the pin is frictionally engaged by a hollow hook member, which cooperates with the pin and sleeve to form a pin joint for pivotally attaching the two frame members to each other. Such a construction results in an inexpensive adjustable rack which can be advantageously made from injection molded plastic and which can be assembled in a short amount of time without the use of special tools.
Although the rack described and illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,993 has been marketed successfully by the assignee of the present application for a number of years, there is room for improvement. For instance, because the seam between the hook member and the sleeve is visible, the aesthetic appearance of the rack is not as clean and, hence, as pleasing as it might otherwise be.